And three giants: Bishop H. David Burton, Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who recently co-signed a letter with Bishop Harry Jackson, Senior Pastor, Hope Christian Church, expressing their shared commitment to protect marriage; Mayor Barry blesses their union with a memorable chant.

3 thoughts on “A Tale of Two Cities (DC and SLC): Marion Barry, H. David Burton and Harry Jackson”

Marion Barry is a man with many demons. Giving a contract to his girl friend was inexcusable and then there are a plethora of personal issues ranging from addiction and prostitution to the repeated failure of filing taxes.

Having said that, Barry represents people who no one else cares about. His charisma is overwhelming even to his opponents, no matter how educated and sophisticated they are.

Unlike many other corrupt politicians, Barry actually delivers for the poor and he succeeded where others have failed. With sheer persistence, he managed to rebuild U-Street. No matter how many times the project failed, Barry would keep at it and get it done.

He is a tragic figure and it is unfortunate that he has turned his back his back on a civil rights cause.

Despite Barry’s involvement, gay marriage is now a reality in DC. Maryland, the home of Bishop Harry Jackson, may be next when the General Assembly passes a marriage equality bill this spring.

The only thing interesting about that letter is their logo: Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary. For a long time, Immaculate Conception meant that Mary was literally immaculately conceived, as Joachim and Anne felt they were rejected by God because they were childless. Then, an angel said: “Nope, you’re pregnant.”

Now the Catholic Church says that Mary was conceived normally, but without original sin. This is still called “Immaculate Conception,” though, which leads people to confuse it with the “Virgin Birth.”

With all this strangeness, one might wonder how they got to “Marriage + Reproduction” as the only acceptable family dynamics.